Today I went to the Catholic Gift Store near to my place of employment. I am not Catholic but I was/am in dire need of a Joseph to plant in the back yard of my beautiful country house so that it sells soon. This was not something I had heard of while living in England but I am told by a number of different people that it works. We shall definitely see. To be honest, we did try it once already but now I am wondering whether the chipped nose Joseph ended up with as a result of the children burying him for me has meant the house hasn't already sold. I am willing to try again for the price of $12.
So, unashamedly, here is a plug for my house,
for whatever it is worth and just in case anybody chances upon my house this way. After all, if I can bury a Joseph made in China in my back yard, surely I can write about my house sale on my blog?
Here's a picture of my house. It is lovely. It sits on 52 acres of land and you can buy all of it, or you can buy it in two parcels of 25 or 27 acres. We have a big barn and room for horses and cows.
There is absolutely no noise and you can sit on the deck and just hear, well, nothing. Maybe the cows lowing or the birds calling. It's so nice not to hear car traffic of any sort. Our garden is lovely in the spring and summer and over it all our windmill soars, its blades creaking.
We loved living in this house, in this neighborhood. We just don't need to live there any more due to work commitments. It is a happy house, filled with memories of children's laughter and happy gatherings with friends and families. We want it to go to another happy family of one sort or another.
It is priced at $480K
If you like it, please call our lovely realtor Katy Duke at 512-252-8900 or email her at Katy@katyduke.com
Today in England (and a little part of the Texas Hill Country!) the feast day of Saint George is being variously celebrated. Our national saint, George, was first mentioned in British sources by the Venerable Bede in the seventh century A.D. as a warrior saint who frequently came to the aid of troubled Brits in military distress.
Another national hero of ours (not quite a saint), Will Shakespeare invokes George before the battle of Agincourt, "Follow your spirit, cry "God for Harry, England and St. George". Rousing stuff, enough to make you want to belt out a few verses of "Jerusalem" - which in actual fact IS another St. George's day activity the likes of which is enough to reduce ex-pats like me to tears!
St. George eventually made his way to the New World also as his
flag
was flown above/on the Mayflower as it arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts. I think (unless someone corrects me) that it stopped there though and none of the more 'modern' St. George's day celebrations have crossed my radar while living here. I haven't, for example, seen any St. George's day
Morris dancing or Punch and Judy shows.
Ah well, I will celebrate the best way I can by wearing my red rose in my lapel and of course by drinking tea. Mind you, a 21st century addition to tradition might be in order by visiting the Cath Kidston page where red items of the day are prominently showcased in George's honor!http://www.cathkidston.co.uk
Good Morning from rainy Texas! I don't get to write that very often! As I type, the rain is actually pouring down onto my tin roof. It sounds great. The kids are all at home today for various reasons and it's lovely to be able to sit and enjoy it all rather than haring off in to the rain to drive 70 miles in the darkness to get to work :)
As a means of whetting your appetite as to all the gorgeous things that Union Jackie's is going to be able to source for you, I am starting a blog series of gorgeous English items being handcrafted in the UK at the moment.
I'm going to start with Poppy Treffry, a business established in picturesque St. Ives in the west of England. If you watch Doc Martin on PBS then you will know exactly the kind of fishing village that I am referring to. Poppy and her team of sewing ladies make whimsical homegoods such as tea cosies, tea towels, pictures, bags etc. As an avid tea drinker I particularly like her tea cosies and mugs
Having said that, I am in love generally with the slightly retro and gentle English way of life suggested by her products. You have to love this photo below right......
that was recently submitted to a Poppy photo contest where the competitors were asked to show how they were using their Poppy Treffry goddies that they had purchased. That outside picnic table laden with delightful tea time items and the snazzy VW van is about as eccentrically English as I can imagine.
So, check out Poppy's online store at poppytreffry.co.uk and let me know which items you like the most. Come August it is my fervent prayer that the Union Jackie's market stall near you will be stocking them :)
Okay - so I am a little late with the annual felicitations but, hey, it has been terribly busy these last few months in my little part of Texas!
Living 70 miles away from where you work three days a week, but where your kids go to school 5 days a week is not for the faint of heart and my heart must be fainting because I have decided, for the sanity of our family, not to return to my place of employment next year. I have very mixed feelings on this as I truly rnjoy my job, but sanity is important too, as well as physical health so needs must!
So. What next? Great question. Money must continue to pour (dribble?) into the family coffers so I must do something. I'd prefer to keep office hours with the kids and that means school but school non-teaching would be my preference, para professional with a short drive even better. I'm kind of thinking it would also be neat to start a small business. I have a name for it and everything. "Union Jackie's": Sourcing English Nostalgia, Deep in the Heart of Texas. Catchy huh? I have so many ideas to bring a little bit of England to the Hill Country and to enjoy it too. As soon as school is out and I have some TIME!!!
So that catches me up a bit.
Other things, am enjoying reading Philippa Gregory books. I avoided this series for a while because they looked a bit boddice ripping for my taste but they aren't that way at all. I have learned so much more about the Tudors and the Elizabethan period from reading them than Mrs. Hancock every taught me in 7th grade back in the day! I think I was the last person on the planet to read The Other Boleyn Girl, followed by The Constant Princess and now the rather salaciously titled The Virgin's lover. I highly recommend.
More to come....and I pledge to write more often than once every 7 months!
